New online tool helps South West trains passengers to monitor train service

23 October 2012

South West Trains passengers can now access improved information about their train journey, following the launch of a new online ‘Rainbow Board’ which offers an at-a-glance summary of how the South West Trains’ network is running.

The new Rainbow Board, which is available at southwesttrains.co.uk, is a simple online tool which allows passengers to easily and quickly check the status of their train service using a colour coded panel. The South West Trains network is divided into 12 different lines of route on the Rainbow Board and maps detailing each of these routes can be found on the South West Trains’ website.

The colour coded guide allows passengers to see how each of the routes is running on a minute by minute basis - for example, green shows a good service, yellow shows that there is minor disruption and red shows major disruption. The Rainbow Board also shows planned changes to specific routes as a result of engineering work which are colour coded orange and blue.

Adam Piddington, Head of Information and Customer Experience for the South West Trains/Network Rail Alliance, said: “As one of the UK’s busiest and most complex train operators, it’s important that we provide accurate and up to the minute information for our passengers using as many different channels as possible.

“The Rainbow Board is designed to provide a simple, at-a-glance guide to show how our services are running. With minute by minute updates provided by our operations control team, passengers will be able to easily access the latest information about their train service.

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“We are committed to improving information to passengers, and we’re sure this latest initiative will provide a useful tool to help our passengers with their journey on South West Trains.”

As well as being displayed prominently on the South West Trains website, the Rainbow Boards are also displayed at 16 key stations on the South West Trains network, with plans to roll out to a further 25 stations in the next year.

The range of routes covered by the Rainbow Board were agreed in liaison with the South West Trains’ Passenger Panel.

In addition to the Rainbow Board, passengers can also find up to date train running information by checking the live train information page at southwesttrains.co.uk or sign up to Journey Check Alerts, which are tailored to their individual journey.

This is the latest in a range of measures by South West Trains, one of the UK’s busiest commuter networks, to enhance customer communication. Other improvements include the launch of a new ‘Tweet the Manager’ initiative, the roll out of a new state-of-the-art PA system at Waterloo station and development of an enhanced mobile version of the South West Trains’ website which allows passengers to purchase tickets and receive tailored information on their journeys while on the move.

South West Trains was recently shortlisted in the 2012 National Rail Awards for the improvements made in providing better information to passengers under the category of ‘Putting Passengers First’.